Member Biography

George Rogers stood 6-2 in height, weighed 220 pounds, and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. He grew up in Duluth, Georgia. and helped Duluth High School win the state championship in class AA. He played four years as a running back at South Carolina, was a two-time All-America 1979-80, and won the Heisman Trophy, saluting the nation's best player, in 1980. Rogers had 27 games in which he rushed for 100 or more yards. His best was 237 yards against Wake Forest as a sophomore in 1978. He had 224 against Duke in 1980 and 217 against North Carolina State in 1979. In 1980, he led the nation in rushing with 1,781 yards and a 6.0 yards-per-carry average. Rogers set school records for career rushing (4958) yards), season rushing (1894), and rushing average per game (112.7). In four years, he scored 202 points. He returned 12 kickoffs for an average of 28.3 yards. In his last two years South Carolina had a 16-6 record and was in the 1979 Hall of Fame Bowl and 1980 Gator Bowl. Rogers was named Most Valuable Player in the 1979 Hall of Fame Bowl. Rogers played pro with the New Orleans Saints 1981-84 and Washington Redskins 1985-87. He was pro football's Rookie of the Year in 1981 and led the pro league in touchdowns (18) in 1986. He returned to the University of South Carolina as an associate in the athletic department.